Books in the Best Practices in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management series

The need to understand and master ever-changing requirements and environmental conditions is a difficult challenge for project management professionals. The same practices that led to success yesterday may cause failure today. Selecting favorable responses to a given situation is often the most critical factor of the dynamics of success and failure. This book is designed to enable project managers to assess a situation, predict the appropriate approach, methodology and achieving styles, and then apply them in a situational fashion.

Organizations need to constantly innovate and improve products and services to maintain a strong competitive position in the market place. The vehicle used by organizations for such constant reinvention is a business transformation program. This book illustrates a tested program management roadmap along with the supporting comprehensive frameworks to successfully execute business transformation programs, formulated strategies, and strategic initiatives. It outlines the steps to successfully transform any business and deliver tangible business outcomes.

This book provides a framework for understanding and managing factors required for achieving successful project and program outcomes. It presents guidelines to help readers develop an understanding of governance and its connection to strategy as the starting point for decisions on what work needs to be done. The book describes how to craft appropriate communication strategies to develop and maintain successful relationships with stakeholders. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing project controls and outlines effective communication techniques for managing expectations and acquiring the support required for successful delivery.

Strong stakeholder engagement is perhaps the most critical factor for achieving successful program execution in our fast-paced world. Many program managers get stuck in the "science" of program management, spending vast amounts of effort on tasks, charts, and metrics. Program managers who emphasize activities around relationship building and stakeholder engagement usually have the best chance for program success. This book focuses on how to engage your stakeholders in the right way, and keep them engaged throughout the course of your program.

The role of the project manager with agile differs significantly from traditional project management in that there is minimal up-front planning. This book will help project managers from any industry transition to agile project management. The book focuses on the project management component of agility, concentrating on industry standards, certifications, and being agile. The book's focus is in alignment with the Project Management Institute (PMI®) Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) credential-making it ideal for anyone preparing for the PMI-ACP® exam.

Program management is an emerging offshoot of project management. A recent sign of its growing acceptance is AT&T's and IBM's push to certify program managers. There are few references to guide program managers in this field that requires a broad and deep level of professional experience. This handbook is the definitive reference on program management, providing managers this much-needed guidance. Edited by Ginger Levin, the second person to become a PMI certified program manager (PgMP®), the handbook is a cohesive compilation of program management knowledge written by more than 20 certified PgMPs.

Identifying critical success factors specific to program management, this book examines various leadership styles and traits¿providing helpful insights on the tough choices leaders are often forced to make. Next, it examines teams and explains how to bring disparate people together to work towards common goals and visions. It describes how to build and maintain a High Performing Team as well as how to instill a competitive spirit and culture of cooperation and mutual respect in your team to make sure your team remains focused on the right things.